Glycosmis pentaphylla (Retz.) DC leaf extract mediated synthesis of selenium nanoparticle and investigation of its antibacterial activity against urinary tract pathogens

Abstract Having a wide range of interactions with biomolecules, green synthesized selenium nanoparticles are being broadly studied to investigate their activity in several fields of health science as antimicrobials, anticancerous or sometimes as carriers for drug delivery. Being a semiconductor metalloid, selenium got substantial attention in biological field. Here, spherical shaped selenium nanoparticles with fine crystalline properties have been synthesized within 4 h at 60 °C, with an average particle size of 56.21 nm, through a green route using aqueous leaf extract of Glycosmis pentaphylla (Retz.) DC which is commonly known as orangeberry and contains several antimicrobial compounds. No use of hazardous or toxic chemicals is involved in this synthesis process hence it is environment friendly. These green synthesized selenium nanoparticles capped with numerous bioactive molecules from G. pentaphylla, has shown strong antibacterial activity against four urinary tract pathogens viz., Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.